1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to pressure infusion systems for allowing fluid to be infused into a patient.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
A preliminary patentability search conducted in class 604, subclasses 118, 141, 142 and 147, and class 222, subclass 96 produced the following patents which may relate to the present invention, copies of which were submitted with the parent application:
Price, U.S. Pat. No. 2,362,025. Price discloses an apparatus for administering blood plasma that includes a bulb for being manually and intermittently compressed to force blood plasma from the apparatus into a patient's vein.
Beall et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,153,414. Beall et al.
discloses an infusion system that includes an inflatable bladder for being wrapped about a flexible liquid container and a hand inflation bulb for manually inflating the bladder to force liquid from the liquid container.
Ilg, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,328,255 and 3,399,040 and Re. 27,132. Ilg discloses an elongated bag for freezing and washing blood cells. The bag has a pair of opposed outer flexible and collapsible walls and an intermediate wall dividing the bag into a gas chamber and a liquid chamber sealed from each other. By introducing gas into the gas chamber, its volume is increased and the volume of the liquid chamber is decreased whereby the level of stratified liquid in the liquid chamber is forced upwardly without disturbing the strata until the upper spent wash strata flows out of an outlet at the top of the liquid chamber.
Bierman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,468,308. Bierman discloses a pressure infusion device that expels liquid from a bladder member at an extremely slow rate over an extended period. The device includes a flexible bladder and a rigid outer shell surrounding the bladder. Means is provided to admit pressurized gas into the outer shell at a slow and controlled rate to force liquid from the bladder member.
Cogley et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,794. Cogley et al. discloses a package for storing and dispensing liquids. The package includes a fluid-tight outer vessel and a flexible fluid-tight container within the outer vessel. A port is provided for allowing pressurized fluid to be introduced into the interior of the outer vessel.
Hinck et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,514. Hinck et al. discloses a pressure infusion device which includes a bladder as part of the cuff in which a fluid filled bag is encased wherein the bladder surrounds at least eighty per cent of the fluid filled bag. A flexible bag is coupled to the bladder for allowing the bladder to be manually inflated.
Leibinsohn, U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,116. Leibinsohn discloses an apparatus for the induced infusion of a liquid from a flexible liquid bag. The Leibinsohn apparatus includes a bulb and an accumulator for accumulating pressurized fluid pumped by the bulb to maintain substantially constant pressure as liquid is forced from the liquid bag.
Marx, U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,992. Marx discloses an apparatus for receiving and reinfusing a patient's own blood. The apparatus includes a rigid outer container and a readily deformable inner container located within the rigid outer container. Blood is drawn into the inner container by suction and is displaced therefrom by pressurized gas being introduced between the outer and inner containers.
Woods et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,160. Woods et al. discloses a pressure infusion system including a flexible bag containing a quantity of liquid to be infused, a pressure cuff for causing the liquid to be forced from the bag, and a control assembly for controlling the pressure cuff. The control assembly includes a manually operative valve for allowing pressurized gas to inflate the pressure cuff to force liquid from the bag, and for allowing a vacuum to be applied to the pressure cuff to quickly deflate the pressure cuff.
Keime, U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,392. Keime discloses a portable, self-contained injector for perfusions. The injector includes a fluidtight casing enclosing a flexible bag containing fluid to be injected. A compression assembly including a pressurized gas cartridge is provided for pressurizing the interior of the casing to force fluid from the flexible bag.
Bellin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,613. Bellin et al. discloses a pressure infusion device having a pressure gauge fastened directly in the pressure applying bag which presses against a sealed bag of liquid to be infused.
Additionally, during the prosecution of the parent application the following references were cited by the Examiner:
Sprague, U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,078; Greenblatt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,005; Reinicke, U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,244; and Ruano, U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,860.
None of the above patents disclose or suggest the present invention. More specifically, none of the above patents disclose or suggest a pressure infusion system having a valve means including, in general, body means having first port means for being coupled to a source of pressurized fluid and for being in communication with the interior of a bladder of a pressure infusion cuff, second port means for being coupled to said bladder and for being in communication with the interior of said bladder, third port means for being vented to the atmosphere, and an open interior for connecting the second and third port means to one another and for allowing pressurized fluid to pass therebetween; each of the second and third port means having a cross sectional area greater than the cross sectional area of the first port means to allow pressurized fluid to quickly escape from the interior of the bladder through the second and third port means; and plug means positioned within the body means for movement between an inflate position and a deflate position; the first and second port means being open and the third port means being blocked when the plug means is in the inflate position for allowing inflation of the bladder of the pressure infusion cuff; the first port means being blocked and the second and third port means being opened when the plug means is in the deflate position for allowing rapid deflation of the bladder of the pressure infusion cuff.